Temple of Bastet the Cat Goddess (2010)
The Ptolemaic Dynasty, best known for starting under Alexander the Great in 332 BCE and ending with the rather dramatic death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BCE, was primarily a Greek dynasty. Despite its Greek flavor, ancient Egyptian traditions flourished. This is evident in the 2010 discovery of the Ptolemaic era Temple of Bastet. Researchers believe the temple was built by Queen Berenice II, Ptolomy III’s wife, during their reign from 246 BCE to 222 BCE. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Bastet, who assumed the shape of a cat. The temple was adorned with roughly 600 cat statues, indicating the ancient Egyptian reverence for cats continued well into Egypt’s Greek period.